Prep boys golf: San Rafael's Muirhead climbing up the MCAL ranks in third season

IT'S BEEN A while since the San Rafael High boys golf team has gone .500 or better in league to qualify for the MCAL tournament. While that dry spell will continue this season, there's a chance that the Bulldogs (2-13) will have representation at the league tourney on April 28.

That representative is junior Ryan Muirhead, who has gone from regularly shooting in the 60s or 70s during his first season of golf as a freshman in nine-hole league matches to averaging in the mid-40s this season.

"He's our No. 1," said San Rafael coach Ron Everette, whose in his third year with the program and second as the coach. "He gets things done and is getting better through the year."

Muirhead's average is not quite low enough. According to his coach, 42 or lower is the required average to be included as an individual in the MCAL tournament for non-qualifying teams. But Everette plans to talk to the MCAL about making an exception.

Regardless, Muirhead has another year to bring his scoring average down.

"My game is starting to come together," Muirhead said. "I'm starting to round out my skills."

Muirhead definitely had his skills on display a few weeks ago when he fired a career-low 42 at Peacock Gap in a match against Drake. The round included a 30-footer he sank for birdie on the par-5 eighth hole.

"He's very consistent," Everette said. "He needs more of a short game, but he should be somebody to be reckoned with next year."

Everette considers Muirhead a self-motivator who will work on aspects of his game that need the most attention.

Case in point, Muirhead has gone from using his driver on the 170-yard par-3 sixth hole at Peacock to clear the water, to now having no problem making it with a 6- or 7-iron.

"He has no fear now that he can't make it over (the water)," Everette said. "That's what I like to see in the kids."

Muirhead has also had more opportunities to master that hole since he works at Peacock as a cart attendant and can play there for free when he's not practicing or playing matches there already with his team.

Along with working on his short game to help trim shots off his average, he is also hoping that a new set of clubs will help. He was playing with a set his uncle gave him until recently when a marshal at Peacock provided him with some longer clubs to help compensate for the four inches he's grown this year. He plans on getting a set of custom-fitted clubs soon.

Muirhead spent spring break week looking at colleges on the West Coast during a family trip. Cal Poly-SLO, UC Santa Barbara, Chapman and UC Irvine were among the schools he toured. He likes Cal Poly due to its relatively small student population and its philosophy of starting your major classes immediately and then your general education classes in two years.

He's looking to major in business administration and eventually do something in finance.

If that coincides with playing golf collegiately that would fine by Muirhead.